Moonlight Cinema Has Unveiled Its January 2024 Lineup, Plus a Swag of Retro Flicks Across Summer

If you haven't yet had a chance to sit on a bean bed under the night sky while feasting your eyes on the big screen and filling your stomach with a picnic, aka the annual Moonlight Cinema experience and an Australian summer staple, here's your next round of motivation: the outdoor picture palace's January lineup, plus a few other highlights for the next few months. This cinephile heaven drops its program in parts, so its December bill arrived in November, and now it's time to see what'll be kicking off 2024.

On the way: a heap of upcoming releases getting sneak peeks at Moonlight Cinema before they hit general release, plus old-school throwbacks aplenty. So, whether you're in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth, you have much to look forward to in scenic surroundings.

The preview list includes Adam Driver (65) stepping into Enzo Ferrari's shoes in Ferrari, which is also filmmaker Michael Mann's first feature 2015's Blackhat; the new musical silver-screen version of Mean Girls, as based on the stage show adapted from the OG flick; and Mare of Easttown, Devs, On the Basis of Sex, Bad Times at the El Royale and Pacific Rim: Uprising actor Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley, plus Australian Euphoria and Saltburn star Jacob Elordi as Elvis, in Sofia Coppola's Priscilla.

Moonlight audiences around the country can also grapple with wrestling biopic The Iron Claw, which features Zac Efron (Gold) and Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) as part of the Von Erich family — and then check out spy action-comedy Argylle. In Sydney and Melbourne only, the haunting and swoonworthy All of Us Strangers with the internet's boyfriends Paul Mescal (Foe) and Andrew Scott (Fleabag) will also get a spin.

Films that are or will already be in cinemas everywhere will also grace Moonlight's screens, such as Wonka, Saltburn and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

For blasts from the past, The Mighty Ducks, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, She's The Man, The Parent Trap and Clueless will welcome in audiences nationwide, as will Hocus Pocus, The Devil Wears Prada, A Cinderella Story and The Princess Diaries. Sydney scores a date with Mamma Mia!, while the Harbour City as well as Melbourne and Perth will watch The Goonies and The Princess Bride, too.

The lineup always varies per city, and the films and the setting are just two parts of the Moonlight Cinema setup. Also on offer: an official Aperol spritz bar, which is new for 2023–24.

Nosh-wise, the event lets you BYO movie snacks and drinks (no alcohol in Brisbane, though), but the unorganised can enjoy a plethora of bites to eat onsite while reclining on bean beds.

There's also a VIP section for an extra-luxe openair movie experience, plus a platinum section that levels up a night at the movies even further in Sydney and Melbourne. A beauty cart is handing out samples, too. And, dogs are welcome at all sites except Perth — there's even special doggo bean beds, and a snack menu for pooches.

MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2023–24 DATES:

Brisbane: until Sunday, February 18, 2024 in Roma Street Parklands
Sydney: until Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Centennial Parklands
Perth: until Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Kings Park and Botanic Garden
Adelaide: until Wednesday, February 14, 2024 in Botanic Park
Melbourne: until Saturday, March 30, 2024 in Royal Botanic Gardens

Moonlight Cinema runs through until March 2024, with dates varying per city. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the cinema's website — and we'll update you with further program details when they're announced.